It's Snowing Again (We Say Everyday)

It's officially been eight years since Aaron and I moved to Copper Harbor.  Only eight?  It seems like longer to me.  And you know what?  In all those eight years, not one moment has gone by when I regretted that impulsive move.  Did you know I had only been to Copper Harbor two or three times in the winter before I moved here?  I hadn't even seen it in the summer!

Speaking of summer, I can hardly fathom that time right now.  The calendar does not say it's winter yet, but everywhere a person can look, it is winter.  Here is just a little comparison for you. 

The back porch on Thanksgiving Day

The back porch this morning...

that table is in there somewhere!

Yeah, so it's winter.  Sorry calendar.  

But it's winter like it's supposed to be winter!  Mount Bohemia opened yesterday, and I got to go snowboarding in some thick snow on mogul-less terrain.  Lots of other people came for the event as well, but I found some freshies to glide through.

I was so excited to carve the hill up that I didn't bring my camera.  No time for frozen fingers pushing buttons on a powder day.  That's just a rule.  But I do have other pictures from throughout the week! 

This is how I knew it was time to put the cruiser bike away.

The shivering Swhinn

And see what's leaning up against that tree?  My snowshoes!  That was the day of my first snowshoe.  It was grand.  And here are some shots from my second snowshoe.  Aaron and Johnny went out to Lake Medora to do some kiteboarding, so I went with.  I always wanted to venture to those islands out there anyway.

Snowy trees on a Medora Island

Icicles on a Medora Island

They kites in action on Lake Medora

Though the wind was really whipping, it was awesome being out there.  And though I have never been to Isle Royale in the winter, exploring those islands reminded me of exploring Isle Royale.  Probably because it was some place new, it was gorgeous and I knew I wasn't going to meet another soul.  

So Aaron and Allan have already been ice fishing at the west end of the harbor.  No catching, but the ice was thick enough to stand on and fish.  Here are some shots of ice on other parts of the harbor that day... Friday.

Looking west from the Isle Royale Queen IV dock

Looking east next to the Harbor Haus dock

And when I looked down at the lake from my house today, I didn't see any ice in the middle of the harbor.  The current 40 mph gusts probably had something to do with that.  But those gusts also make me want to get out to Hunter's Point to check out the waves.  

But before I do that, I wanted to point out one thing.  Scroll through those pictures again.    What colors do you see a lot of?  White, gray, some wood colors... oh, the kites have colors!  Thanks goodness!  What do you not see?  Shadows.  Okay, maybe under that little table on my back porch.

So imagine.  A week without shadows.  A week without a sparkle in the snow.  A week seeing white and gray for color in the natural landscape.  It makes for an interesting perspective on life.  Thanks goodness for Vitamin D supplements and snow sports!  See you next week!